Coin-controlled lock



Aug. 12, 1930. H. L. NEER 1,772,959

COIN CONTROLLED LOCK Fil'ed Feb. 18, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l gwvento'o HarryLNeer Aug. 12, 1930. H. L. NEER 1,772,959

coIN CONTROLLED LOCK Fild Feb. 18, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Li I ghwnto'u Hzlrr LNeer Aug. 12, 1930. H. L. NEER 1,772,959

COIN CONTROLLED LOCK Filed Feb. 18, 1929 4 Sheets$heet 3 Aug. 12,1930. H. L. NEER COIN CONTROLLED LOCK Fi led Feb. 18, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 flarrymer Patented Aug. 12, 1930 STATES PATENT OFFH HARRY L. NEER, F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 CHARLES N. VAN CLEAVE, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA COIN -C01\TTROLLED LOCK Application filed February 18, 1929. Serial No. 340,902.

This invention relates to coin controlled of a door 12. The plate has a collar 13 looks, and while it may be used for any pur secured thereon or made integral therewith, pose for which a coin controlled lock is adaptwhich collar provides a bearing for a shaft ed, this is particularly designed with a view 14. Secured on the inner end-of the shaft 14 to its use on doors and particularly toilet is an arm 15 by means of which the latch 16 5 closet doors. is operated from the inside of the door.

An object of the invention is to provide a The latch 16 is mounted to slide upon the lock the unlocking of which is controlled by plate 10 through a U-shaped bracket 17 a coin in which the coin'operates releasing secured to the plate 10. The outer end of 39 mechanism to permit the lock to function, but the bracket 17 has a roller 18 mounted therein which the coin itself does not form the in. The inner end of the latch 16 is slotted driving connection between the manually at 19 to receive a large headed screw 20. A operated knob or handle and the latch of the spring 21 is biased to move the latch to locklock itself. ing position. The latch 16 "has an upstand- 5 A further object is to providea lock which ing lug 22 for engagement by the arm 15 by is coin controlled on one side, but which will means of which the latch is withdrawn. A unlock from the other side withouta coin. spring 23 secured to the arm 15 and to a post A further object is to provide in connec- 2 1- secured on the inside of a cup like cover tion with a coin controlled lock means for plate 25 tends to rotatethe arm 15 to allow 20 operating the lock without the use of a coin. the :latch to'move to locked position. The

A further object is to provide a'coin concover plate 25 is secured to the plate 10 by trolled lock which willnot be operated by a -means of screws26. A bracket 27 secured on coin or slug having a central perforation orv the plate 10 supports a counting device 28.

any kind of a slot in it. This countingor recording device is oper- 25 A further object is to provide a coin conated by means of an oscillating arm 29 havtrolled lock which requires a coin of exact ing an upstanding pin 30 which engages a predetermined thickness so that it will not slot 31 in a plate 32 to be later described.

operate when thin slugs are inserted. The plate 10 has a strip 33 secured at its Other objects and advantages will become upper end, which plate has a bent up portion an apparent as the description proceeds. A 34 over which a hook onthe lock casing may Referring to the acc'ompanyingdrawings, engage to secure the casing in position. The which are made 'a part hereof and on which cup i like cover plate 25 carries a plate 32 similar reference characters indicate similar previously mentioned, which plate is made up parts, of two discs 35 and 36 spaced apart a sulfi- 35 Figure 1 is aperspective view of the invencient distance to care for the thickness of a tion, coin such as a nickel, with which it may be Figure 2 is a front view of the lock With desired to operate the lock. The discs 35 and the cover removed, 36 are spaced apart by means of blocks 37 and Figure 3 is a side view of Fig. 2, looking 38. The block 37 has a portion of its outer 40 from the right, edge cut away to provide a notch 89 for en- Figure A is a side view of Fig. 2, looking gagement by theouter end of an arm 40.

from the left, The arm 40 is secured upon a post 41 which Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, post has its ends journaled in the plate 10 looking'to the right, A and in the cover plate 25. The lower end Figure 6 is a section on line 66 of'Fig. 3, of the post 41 has another arm 42 which is looking to the left, and engaged by the lug 22 on the latch 16. When Figure 7 is a plan view as seen from the the discs 35 and 36 are rotated in a clockwise topof Fig. 2. direction, as seen in Fig. 6, the catch 40 holds In the drawings numerals-10 and 11 indiit in locked position until withdrawal of the 50 cate plates secured on the outsideand inside latchqlti causes the lug 22 to bear against the lot arm 42 to rotate the post 41 to withdraw the latch 40 from the notch 39. A spring 43 secured on the post 41 and to a post 44 tends to rotate the post to hold the latch 40 in engagement with the periphery of the discs 35 and 36 to cause it to drop into the notch 39 when permitted to do so. Secured between the discs 36 and 37 at their upper edge is a spacing block 45. A lever 46 is secured be tween the discs 35 and 36 being pivoted at 47. The upper end of the lever is cut away to leave an arcuate portion 48 against which a coin 49 rests, the coin being held between the arcuate portion 48 of the lever 46 and the spacing block 45. The lever 46 is biased in a clockwise direction by means of a spring 50. The upper end of the lever is notched and strikes a pin 51, to limit its movement in a clockwise direction. The spring 50 is secured in the spacing block 38. Secured to the inner side of the cover is an arcuate block 52, the end of which is positioned in the path of the lower end of the pivoted lever 46. Vhen the discs and 36 are rotated in a clockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 6, they swing the lever 46 with them. As soon as the lower end of this lever strikes the end of the arcuate block 52 the lever is sw ung on its pivot 47 to swing the upper end away from the coin 49, which releases the coin and allows it to drop between the discs into the bottom of the casing. Extending inwardly from the plate 32 is a collared sleeve to the inner end of which is secured an arm 54 which arm engages the lug 22 to withdraw the latch 16. A spring 55 secured to the arm 54 at one end and tothe post 24 at its other end tends to rotate the arm 55 in a counter clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 6, to permit the latch 16 to be moved to the locked position by the spring 21. The collar 53 extends to the other side of the cover plate 25 and is secured against axial movement through the cover plate by any suitable method. The outer end of the sleeve is slotted at 56 to fit a corre sponding lug on the inner end of the knob 57 by means of which the sleeve is rotated to rotate the discs 35 and 36.

The discs and the means for holding the coin have been described. The means by which the coin functions to release the lock will now be described. A member 58 having forks 59 and 60 straddling the collar 53 is pivoted on brackets 61 secured to the lower side of the disc 35. A spring 62 tends to move the member 59 downward against the disc. The outer end of the member 58 has a roller 63 which rides on a cam track 64 on a bracket 65 which is secured to the inner side or" the cover plate 25. The bracket 65 V has a shoulder 66 against which the end of the member 58 normally strikes when the discs are rotated in a clockwise direction. The member 58 has a small pin 67 which extends down through a perforation in the discs when the member 58 is normally depressed to its lowest position. When the coin 49 is in the position shown in Fig. 6, which is the position the coin assumes when dropped through the slot 68, the pin 67 rests against the coin and holds the lever 58 up so that upon rotation of the discs the roller 38 will not be caught by the shoulder 66, so that the discs may be rotated until the arm 54 strikes the lug 22 to withdraw the latch 16. As the discs rotate to the right the catch 40 drops into the notch 39 and holds the discs in this position. As the discs rotate in a clockwise direction the lower end of the lever 46 strikes against the end of the arcuate block 52 to swing the upper end of the lever to the left to release the coin and permit it to drop into the coin receptacle.

It is desirable to have some means to indicate when the cabinet is in use. Iivoted in brackets 69 secured upon the upper flange of the cover plate 25 is a member 7 0 having a cylindrical surface 71 upon which suitable legends such as Vacant and In use are inscribed. The legends are placed so that when the member is in the position shown in Fig. 2 the word Vacant may be read through a slot 72 in the casing. When the member 70 is turned upward the legend In use is positioned beneath the slot. Mechanism for positioning the member 7 O to indicate Vacant and In use positions will now be described. A plate 73 is secured to the top of the cover plate 25. This plate 7 3 has its outer end bent up and out so as to provide a cam 75 against which the edge of the member 70 rests. When the member 73 is moved inward, the member 7 0 bearing the legend drops by gravity to the position at which the legend Vacant is visible through the slot 72. When the member 73 is moved outwardly the cam 75 rotates the member 70 to bring the legend In use beneath the slot 7 2. A lever 76 is pivoted on a bracket secured to the under side of the upper part of the cover plate 25. This lever has its lower end cut to provide a cam 76 against which a pin 77 on the plate 32 strikes. The upper end of the lever extends up through a slot in the top of the cover plate 25 and engages a notch 78 in the plate 73. Rocking of the lever 76 through a very short distance swings the plate 73 on its pivot 74 to rotate the member 7 O to bring the Vacant and In use legends beneath the slot 72. A spring 79 engages a lug 80 on the plate 73 and tends to rotate the plate 73 to position and bring the Vacant legend into view. The rear end of the plate 73 is notched at 81. A catch member 82 is pivoted at 83 and has an end 84 which engages in the notch 81 to hold the plate 73 in its outer position when moved to that position. The catch 82 has a depending portion 85 having a cam surface positioned in the path of the arm 15 so that rotation of the arm 15 by a knob, not

shown, on the rear of the door to unlatch the door will push back the catch 82 to release the member 73 to allow it to be moved by the spring 79 to the position shown in Fig. 7. A block 86 is secured to the plate ust beneath the member 33 and prevents the member 71 from rotating too far back to prevent it from falling by gravity. The lower part of the casing 87 is closed with a door 88, through which the coins in the casing may be removed. The inside of the casing has lugs 89 by means of which the casing is held upon the plate 10.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A 06in controlled lock comprising a casing, a pair of plates adapted to bepositioned on opposite sides of a cabinet door, a pair of axially aligned shafts mounted in said plates with the end of one shaft extending into a bore in the other, a latch mounted in the cas ing, an arm on each shaft adapted to move the latch to unlocked position, means for locking one of the shafts against rotation, coin controlled means for releasing said look ing means, and means carried by said locking means to prevent operation of the unlocking means by a perforated coin, substan tially as set forth.

2. A coin controlled lock comprising a casing, a pair of plates adapted to be positioned on opposite sides of a cabinet door, a pair of axially aligned shafts mounted in said plates with the end of one shaft extending into a bore in the other, a latch mounted in the casing, an arm on each shaft adapted to move the latch to unlocked position, means for locking one of the shafts against rotation, coin controlled means for releasing said lo cking means, means carried by said locking means to prevent operation of the unlocking means by a perforated coin comprising a circular cam track on the casing having a stopping abutment formed thereon, a lever pivoted at one end and having a cam follower on the other end adapted to strike the abutment to prevent operation of the lock, and a lateral pin adjacent to said follower adapted to strike the face of the coin to cause the lever to ride over the abutment when an imperforated coin is inserted but to enter the perforation in a coin to allow the cam follower to strike the abutment when a perforated coin is inserted, substantially as set forth.

3. A coin controlled lock for doors or the like comprising a pair of plates adapted to be positioned on opposite sides of a door, a casing, a pair of axially aligned shafts mounted in said plates, the end of one shaft extending into a bore in the other, a latch, an arm on each shaft adapted to move the latch to unlocked position, means for locking one of the shafts against rotation when a perforated coin or slug is used, and means for permitting rotation of said shaft when a proper coin is inserted, substantially as set forth. v

4-. A coin controlled lock for doors or the like comprising a pair of plates adapted to be positioned on opposite sides of a door, a casing, a pair of axially ali ned shafts mounted in said plates, the end of one shaft extending into a bore in the other, a latch, an arm on each shaft adapted to move the latch to unlocked position, means for locking one of the shafts against rotation comprising a pair of spaced discs carried by said shaft, coin retaining blocks between said discs, aligned perforations in said discs between said blocks, a cam track on the casing having a stopping abutment formed thereon, a lever pivoted at one end to one of said discs and having a cam follower on the other end adapted to strike the abutment to prevent operation of the lock, and a lateral pin mounted adjacent said follower and adapted to enter said aligned .perforations to prevent operation of the lock before a coin has been inserted or also through the perforation in a slug or imperforated coin, substantially as set forth.

5. A coin controlled lock for doors comprising a casing, a pair of aligned shafts having the end of one shaft extending into a bore in the other, a latch, an arm on each shaft to move the latch to unlocked position, means for locking one of the shafts against rotation comprising a pair of spaced discs carried by said shaft, a cam track on the casing having a stopping abutment formed thereon, a lever pivoted at one end to one of said discs and having a cam follower on the other end adapted to strike the abutment to prevent operation of the lock, a lateral pin mounted adjacent said follower and adapted to enter said aligned perforations to prevent operation of the lock before a coin has been inserted or in the event of a perforated coin or slug has been inserted, coin retaining means between said discs comprising a fixed block and a spring-pressed pivoted block adapted to be acted upon to release a perfect coin after the lock has been actuated or permitting the ejection of a perforated coin by the insertion of a perfect coin without interferring with the operation of said lock, substantially as set forth.

6. A coin controlled lock for doors or the like comprising a casing, a latch mounted in the casing, means for withdrawing the latch, means for locking the withdrawing means to prevent its operation, coin controlled means for releasing the locking means,

and means on the locking means to prevent operation of the unlocking means by a perforated coin, substantially as set forth.

7 In a coin controlled lock, means adapted to prevent operation of the lock by a perforated coin comprising a cam track on the lock having a stopping abutment, a lever pivoted at one end and having a cam follower on the other end adapted to strike the abutment to prevent operation of the lock, and a pin on the lever adapted to strike the face of the coin to cause the lever to ride over the abutment when an imperforated coin is inserted but to enter the perforation 15 in the coin to allow the cam follower to strike the abutment when a perforated coin is inserted, substantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 16th day w of February, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-nine.

HARRY L. NEER. 

